Amazing Apps to Quickly Identify Flowers & Plants

Introduction

I was born in a big city, but currently, I live at the very edge of a small town. A forest practically surrounds the place, and I couldn’t be happier. Two years ago, I exchanged the smog of the metropolis for pristine nature. I quickly developed the habit of taking long walks through the woods and exploring every nook and cranny of the area. Curiosity crept in very quickly. What’s the name of that tree? What kind of flower is this? Is that big mushroom edible? As an inner-city kid, I honestly had no clue.

Consider your location before you start

I did not want to remain ignorant. My intention was to stay here, so I had to learn. The area is comparatively remote with a climate that some of my friends proclaim to be extremely cold. I personally don’t mind it in the least. The surrounding forest has unique flora and fauna, so I made a point of focusing my online research on this particular area. I love hiking, but I also have the intention to do some gardening. I wanted to know which species thrive here and what flowers I am likely to encounter on my little expeditions. There was no point in wasting time on tropical plants just yet, especially since my next holiday won’t happen until late next year.

Learn the basics & fill in the gaps in your knowledge

It’s been a long time since I finished my official education. On top of that, my degree has very little to do with biology or indeed any of the natural sciences. This is why my understanding of plants is somewhat limited, to say the least. I can hardly tell two yellow flowers apart. I had to start from scratch. Luckily for people like me, today it is not too difficult to get a basic grasp of botany and learn more about nature. More than a couple of online resources have proven extremely useful. I soon began to understand names, genera, definitions, and how each plant can relate to the ecosystem around it. After a while, it all started making sense.

Snap a picture to identify any mysterious plant

Still, my ultimate goal was to be able to identify the plants around me. For that, I needed something more than a good eye. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that you can do it by simply snapping a picture with your phone and letting an app do its job. Nine times out of ten, it works like a charm. It’s only in the last five years or so that this method has become available to everyone. Here are a few apps that I personally use.

Helpful Apps to Identify Plants

Some are great for my corner of the world while others I intend to use when I start traveling again. They can deliver a large amount of plants information and really give you a better understanding of the natural world.

Conclusion

Ever since I moved from the big city into a less urban community, I have made an effort to connect with nature and understand it a lot better. Learning about the local flora has been comparatively easy and I have even managed to grasp the basics of botany. Still, the most useful thing I’ve run into are apps that let you identify flowers and plants by simply taking a picture of them. Each of my hiking adventures is five times more fun than it used to be. I learn something new every single time.